Good for: ﻿satisfying the highest standards of food/drink snobs, minus any pretension

I love this place. Too much. Many are the nights that my trusty bike Nemo will be spotted by passing friends, chained to the outside bench, while inside I sip delicious cocktails and rare imports, wine-wank with the bartenders and other clientele, and nibble (who am I kidding?), ahem, scoff, some carefully curated snacks.

El Baron is a tiny, beautifully designed space that brings together expert mixologists (the accolades keep adding up but include Best Bar Cartagena 2015, 2016 Premios Cocktail Colombia, Best Bartender 2015, Best Classic Cocktail 2015 Diageo World Class, Best Cocktail/food pairing Diageo World Class and 3rd place in the Panamerican International Bar Association finals 2016 whew!!) with a food menu that is simple, but consists of exactly-what-you-feel-like-right-now, executed perfectly (fire-roasted meat, housemade pickles etc), presented with the smallest detail in mind (thanks to Chef Alvaro Otero) and designed to be the best complement possible to the star of the show: booze.

What to order? It's all good. Honestly. The Alacrán is spicy and amazing for the not faint of heart. The Gin Basil Smash is their signature cocktail; zingy and refreshing. If it's Tiki season, anything tastes good drunk from their colourful Tiki mugs. The roast beef toasted sandwich. The proscuitto sandwich. The refreshing ceviche. The shrimp toasts. An amazing prosecco malibran. Or a unique liqueur on ice. The coffee is proper coffee. It's all just so good. The reason El Baron is the best, and by far the most recommended cocktail bar in Cartagena, is that the team strives to ensure every single tiny detail is perfect. They manufacture their own perfectly formed ice, tailored to each drink. They infuse their own liquors. Juice their own juice. Make their own syrups, often incorporating herbs from their own rooftop garden. The perfectionism would be irksome if it didn't render such pleasing results.

Did I mention it's tiny? Like, really. But let's call it intimate. Or select. After a few cocktails the entire bar makes friends and it becomes more like a cosy house-party where the guests have congregated around the kitchen (that always happens, right?) The space has been designed to ensure every detail counts. And there's no more welcoming bar stool in Cartagena. Fact. If you're feeling claustrophobic, or want to light up a celebratory Cuban cigar.. there's cute little tables set up just outside on the romantically-lit, historic Plaza San Pedro de Claver. What's that 40 metres from your seat? Oh, yeah, that's the 17th Century, dome-topped, stained-glass adorned Inglesia. Voted number 3 tourist attraction in Cartagena. Which is to say, this bar is very well located.

The music comes courtesy of an ever-rotating group of DJs/friends-of-the-bar and a playlist that is funky, vaguely retro but never intrusive.

All in all it adds up to the type of bar you want to keep going back to. A nightcap bar. A warm-up bar. A date-night bar. A barsnob bar. A foodie bar. A meet-new-friends bar. A drink-by-yourself bar. A blue-ribbon bar. Cartagena's best cocktail bar.

NOTE El Baron is also available to cater your event, private house party, boat trip etc etc if you contact us we can help set it up.